"This compelling memoir chronicles how the life of Joan Diver (married to former Reed president ColinDiver) was turned inside out by devastating spinal pain—and brings us along on her extraordinary journeyfrom Boston foundation executive to spiritual healer. With vivid writing and heartfelt honesty, Joan showshow her misfortune led not just to recovery, but also to awakening."​

Booklist

August 1, 2018

"There are countless books about spiritual awakenings, but Diver's strong, intimate writing pushes readers along a path that’s rough but worthwhile going, for them as well as her."

Publishers Weekly

September 3, 2018

"When Spirit Calls: A Healing Odyssey by Joan Diver is featured on the cover.

August 6, 2016Books to watch for in "Mind, Body, Spirit: Way of Enlightenment" category

"When Spirit Calls: A Healing Odyssey traces the journey of a Boston foundation executive as she seeks relief from crippling back pain. The search takes her from orthopedic surgeons to past lives and encounters with Spirit, and from Christ's tomb in Jerusalem to an ashram in India. An epiphany in the Great Pyramid of Giza inspires her to leave her career and become a spiritual healer. Diver's family story was chronicled in J. Anthony Lukas's Pulitzer Prize-winning Common Ground."

"Joan Diver's contributions to the welfare of individuals and the communities that sustain us are legion as depicted in the epic book about Boston, ​Common Ground. Her spiritual journey that underlies her ongoing dedication to the commonwealth is extraordinary. When Spirit Calls is a revealing, riveting, inspiring story of challenges engaged, avenues of enlightenment pursued, transcendent realities embraced."

—Linda Healey Former Vice President and Senior Editor of Pantheon Books